‘Designing Women’ Star Annie Potts, 71, Hospitalized: Details & Photo

Donning a warm smile, Potts posed for the photo of her in a hospital gown and blue-framed spectacles. She also had a medical tube attached to her nose. Joining her in the picture was a smiling nurse, dressed in light-blue scrubs.

“Nurse Gabby took such wonderful care of me after my knee replacement. God always sends an angel when you need them most. ❤️,” penned the “Young Sheldon” talent in her post’s caption. Since sharing what happened to her, many fans have sent well wishes Potts’ way.

“Prayers for your recovery […] 🙏🏼,” expressed an Instagrammer. Echoing the sentiment, another wrote, “Blessings for a speedy recovery.”

Her recent knee replacement is not the first surgery Potts has faced in her life. In 2022, she spoke about needing to get an ankle replacement—a surgery that is not as common as others because it is a more complex joint.

Speaking to a popular media outlet about the surgery, Potts, who was filming “Young Sheldon” at that time, shared, “I’ll do that as soon as the show wraps season five, because I’m going to need all of the hiatus to get my function back.”

She then spoke about a car accident she was involved in at 21 when she got hit by a drunk driver and broke nearly every bone in her body below her waist, except one. The accident happened just as her career was getting started and took Potts a very long time to recover from.

Having nearly lost her life as a result of reckless drunk drivers, Potts’ sense of appreciation for living was heightened. “Yes, when you almost lose your life, it becomes pretty dear. I don’t know if you can know how dear it is until you are faced with losing it,” expressed the entertainer.

Talking about her health issues following the accident, Potts divulged, “I’ve had more than 20 orthopedic surgeries. It was amazing that I survived, and I haven’t ever talked about it much because I felt that people might think I was less able than I might need to be.”

Using the adverse effects of her accident to her advantage in a way, Potts recalled how she auditioned for a Broadway production of “Pippin,” in 2014. “Well, I’m playing an old woman now; if I’m a little gimpy, it’s okay. So I auditioned for that in my early 60s and got it,” she disclosed.

Potts was also undeterred by her orthopedic surgeon’s concerns about acting after her accident. “I was like, ‘Nope, I’m doing it.’ When you have a little something to overcome, it’s good for you,” said the actress.

When previously asked by an interviewer whether or not she suffered from chronic pain, Potts said she did. She spoke about how her then-pending ankle replacement surgery would most likely leave her on her back for a month.

As an energetic person, Potts struggled to reconcile with that fact and expressed how she had lost count of how many times she’s needed to relearn how to walk.

However, she also highlighted her determination in such cases, stating, “But anything that doesn’t kill you is usually the making of you, so it’s certainly made me a more empathetic person, a more compassionate person. Those are things to be grateful for.”

Going back to her time on “Pippin,” Potts also expressed gratitude to her trapeze partner Preston Jamieson, who helped her by putting Potts on his shoulders to carry her out so she could take her bow in front of the audience. He did so because she couldn’t run out on stage and do it on her own.

A week after her “Pippin” performance, the actress got a knee replacement. As Annie Potts now recovers from another procedure, we wish her all the best and send nothing but positive vibes and prayers for healing.